I have my design for the coop ready, but I am still debating the materials we are going to use. It will be a frame 4x4x4, with t1-11 walls. No insualtion.

So ~ do I need insulation. I'm in NJ and there will be 5 hens in there.

If I ever needed to hang a heat lamp in there, is it okay with the t1-11. My step father was wondering if the t1-11 gives off a smell if it warms that would be harmful to the chickens. I'm thinking no, if ever did then it's TOO warm.

Do I need to hang regular plywood first and the t1-11 over that, or is the t1-11 alone okay??

That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll have more questions once construction begins this weekend. Wish me luck !

T1-11 is more asthetic as far as coop design goes. I used regular plywood for mine here in middle Tennessee. Winter temps got down into the 20's so I added a heat lamp. Didn't lose a single bird. T1-11 is a bit more money than 3/8 but it does look better. Wish I had had the budget to get it when I was building.

No problem with heating inside T-111. Although obviously you need to keep the heatlamp a couple feet *away* from it so nothing catches fire

A 4x4 coop is too small to put a real heatlamp in anyhow, though. You would barely be able to use a regular 100-watt lightbulb.

In general you don't need to insulate in NJ... BUT because it is a tiny coop and thus quite hard to manage in the winter, I would suggest you probably SHOULD insulate it so that you will not have quite as harsh a tradeoff between vents/drafts/temperatures. I would definitely insulate, if it were me.

Make sure you've planned your wintertime ventilation with a lot of thought -- it is really difficult to do properly in that size coop, and if you DON'T do it well, you can run into a lot of problems iwth frostbite etc.

I agree with Pat, need good ventilation! T-111 works well for the siding. DOes not smell anymore than plywood or anything else. I have it on my first coop and it works well. Pictures are on my BYC page.